Black Wings
by FrozenHavoc
Summary: Follow the adventures of Adrian Frostgale as he starts a new life at Beacon Academy. Begins at Volume 1, Episode 9.
1. Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

Chapter I: New Beginnings

I don't know what I was thinking when I stepped off the shuttle headed for Vale's most prestigious school at dusk. I thought a childhood of bullying was enough. Guess I can't take my own advice.

Oh, I'm sorry. You probably have no idea who I am. I'm Adrian Frostgale, a 17-year-old Signal Academy graduate. I was furthering my education in the hopes I could overcome my past through becoming a Huntsman. You see, my childhood consisted mainly of discrimination due to the fact that I was a Faunus, and...well, there's probably a better time to explain my life story.

I stared with awe at the building where I was to conduct my studies for the next four years. Beacon Academy. I don't know why, but Beacon just seemed like the best choice for my future, even though I could have gone to any other school around the world if I wanted to. I took a deep breath and continued approaching the towering structure.

As I came even closer to Beacon's doors, I barely saw a blonde, bespectacled woman who could only be waiting for me.

"Adrian Frostgale?" she asked.

"Yes, that is my name, ma'am." I answered.

"Headmaster Ozpin has been expecting you," she stated, turning as if telling me to follow.

* * *

I soon found myself in a well-lit office with Beacon's headmaster.

"Adrian," Ozpin greeted, standing up from his chair and offering a handshake which I returned. "Take a seat."

"Thank you, sir," I replied, wishing whatever higher powers that existed would make this quick. I was already on edge upon learning that I could possibly attend Beacon Academy.

"Why do you want to become a Huntsman?"

"I...I want to…" I stuttered, trying to find a cover for my real purpose for being here. I'm always afraid that people won't be accepting of my "special heritage."

"Is something wrong?" Ozpin asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

_I might as well stop trying to lie,_ I thought. _It probably won't help my chances and he'll see through it anyway._

"I want to gain equality for the Faunus." I said, slightly biting my lip. Those words hung in the air for what felt like an eternity.

"Is that so?" he responded, taking a sip from his mug. He was **clearly** not convinced that I should be attending his school.

_Time to prove my case,_ I thought to myself, eager yet nervous to hear the outcome.

"It began when I was a child. I was constantly discriminated by most people around me because of my...Faunus identity. I found out all of this abuse was because of the White Fang's now-violent actions. People were bullying me because they were afraid and wanted to keep me submissive. I'm here because I want to find a way to get equality for the Faunus without using bloodshed and criminal activity." At this point, I was fighting back tears. My past changed me. I didn't want to remember all the pain it brought. But Ozpin exuded this kind of...heartwarming atmosphere that just let the words flow out of my mouth.

"Hm," Ozpin pondered. The deafening silence made me wish this meeting just ended, no matter what. Nothing could have prepared me for what I heard next, even though I briefly considered the best case scenario a couple times before arriving at Beacon.

"Ms. Goodwitch, could you lead Adrian to his dorm? It's getting late, and he will need sufficient rest if he plans to excel at any of the courses the school provides."

"Certainly, Professor Ozpin."

My heart just about leapt out of my throat. Those were the greatest words I've ever heard in a while, and my definition of a while is a pretty long time. Not only the fact that I could attend Beacon made my happy, but the fact that Ozpin allowed me, a **Faunus**, into his school. Strangely, I was able to keep my calm, although I was about an inch from jumping over the desk and hugging Ozpin.

* * *

I followed Goodwitch back to what was now decided to be my dormitory, barely concealing a grin trying to make its way onto my face.

"This will be where you sleep each night unless decided otherwise by Beacon's staff." Goodwitch explained. "I suggest that you do not unpack until you get the results of your Initiation."

_That's right,_ I thought. _Initiation...Almost forgot about that._

I turned to thank Ms. Goodwitch, but before I knew it, she was gone. Mentally shrugging to myself, I carried my luggage into my room, washed up and went to sleep faster than I've ever done so in my life. I was extremely excited to see how the next four years would turn out. All my fears had disappeared…

...For now.

* * *

_**AN: **_Check it out, the first fanfic I've ever written in my life! What do you guys think? The stage is set; all it takes is time for me to write.

Here's a character bio for my OC that will hopefully provide much needed context for the rest of the story.

_**Name: **_Adrian Frostgale_**  
Gender: **_Male_**  
Age: **_17_**  
Appearance:  
**_-White open trench coat  
-White bandages around body (as opposed to an undershirt)  
-Black jeans  
-Black/white checkered sneakers  
-Black spiky hair  
-Grey fedora with sky blue band  
-White fingerless gloves  
-Brown eyes  
-White earbuds worn casually  
-Green physical Aura  
-A pair of jet black Faunus wings capable of flight (concealed most of the time)  
_**Weapon: **_**Windsbane**_**  
**_-Longsword with a sky blue hilt and a tiny rotary fan at the bottom of the handle  
-When Aura is channeled through Windsbane, the fan will begin to spin and the sword becomes extremely light, almost as if weightless. However, attack power lowers noticeably.  
-When slashing air, the blade can channel air waves forward as a form of ranged attack.  
-Is kept away in a sheathe on Adrian's waist.  
_**Fighting Style: **_Defensive, only attacks in such a way as if to take down the enemy in as few strikes as possible. Has low stamina and tires easily._**  
Semblance: **_**Gravity Manipulation**_**  
**_-Takes up a lot of Aura when used  
-Can be used to hold targets down, render them helpless in the air, increase the strength of falling attacks, and jump extremely high.  
_**Personality: **_Quiet, but when Adrian does speak, it's worth listening to. He tends to sit back for a bit and analyze situations before getting involved. A bookworm, Adrian only likes groups of up to four when talking, maximum. He tends to randomly and silently appear, unintentionally scaring those not used to it. Adrian's really humble, but most others mistake him for bragging, which annoys him to no end. He may seem emotionless, but it's really just his ability to hide his feelings from others. He gets lonely really quickly._**  
**_

Even with the bio, I will write the story as if there was none. This is just to give a mental image.

_**Any criticism or reviews you have to offer would be extremely helpful in my writing.**_


	2. Chapter 2 - Acquaintances

Chapter II: Acquaintances

When I woke up the next morning, I only took out the things I needed, like my clothes and bathroom hygiene supplies, just like Ms. Goodwitch suggested. After I showered and got dressed, it was 8:05 AM. I decided that it was best to go now, in case I got lost in the school or something. Plus, I could probably grab something to eat on the way.

* * *

Well, as it turns out, I did get lost in Beacon. The school's pretty big, in my opinion. Let me just say one thing before I go on: Beacon's cafeteria (once I found it) had the best food of any school in the world. Even a simple breakfast sandwich tasted like heaven. Better than any coffee shop could make, that's for sure. Soon after I sat at a table with my own sandwich and a cookie I mindlessly took, a student dressed in red sat herself down right beside me as I was reading a book and chewing on the rest of my sandwich.

"Do you need something?" I asked as I cleared my throat.

"Are you going to eat that?" she questioned, pointing at the cookie I neglected to eat.

"I don't think so. You can have it if you want."

The girl snatched the cookie mid-sentence and took a giant bite out of it.

"Mmphl," she mumbled through a mouthful of chocolate chip cookie. I think she was saying "Thanks," but I was too absorbed by my book to pay my full attention.

"You know, I don't think I've seen you before," she said.

"We're in a school this big and you pick out my face?" I asked, putting down my book. "Do you know absolutely everyone who attends Beacon?"

"Of course not!" she exclaimed. "You'd have to be insane to spend the time getting to know every single one of Beacon's students. It's just...after a while, you start seeing faces over and over, and you get a sense of who's here to stay."

"I suppose," I agreed. "Anyways, I'm Adrian. Adrian Frostgale."

"Ruby Rose," she said proudly, as if it were a medal of some sort.

"Nice to meet you." I subtly looked at my watch and took note of the time. 8:46 AM. _I'd better get going,_ I thought. "I'd love to stay and chat some more, but I have to be somewhere. See you later, Ruby!" I called back, already on my feet and headed out the door.

"Adrian, wait!" she hollered. "You forgot your book!" But it was already too late. I didn't hear her shouting after me. "Guess I'll hold onto it for him…" Ruby said to herself.

"Ruby, I thought I told you not to go up to strangers and ask them for cookies," a voice behind her scolded.

Ruby turned around and was immediately greeted by her blonde teammate. Beside her was another girl clothed in a white dress.

"Sorry sis, won't happen again," Ruby reassured.

"Who was that, anyway?"

"That was a new student. Adrian Frostgale." Ruby said, glancing at the exit I walked through. "By the way, where's Blake?"

"She's at the cliffs," the girl in white stated. "I have to take notes for her while she's gone. She owes me one…"

* * *

When I arrived at the cliffs for Initiation, it was 8:55, right on schedule. I saw Ozpin and a girl, with her most prominent feature being the black bow on her head.

"Ah, Adrian. We may now begin." Ozpin announced. "This is Blake Belladonna, and she will be your temporary partner for Initiation as there is an odd number of students attending Beacon due to your arrival."

I took the moment to extend a handshake to Blake, which she quietly returned.

"Should you pass Initiation," Ozpin continued. "You will be assigned a team. Now, onto the task at hand. I want you two to locate an abandoned temple and return to the cliffs with the relic I have placed there. You will face the monsters of Grimm as you move forward. Strike them down or they will kill you. Do either of you have any questions?"

"No, sir," I replied. Blake shook her head in denial.

"Good. You may launch yourselves when you are ready."

I gave Blake a thumbs up before I was hurled into the air.

* * *

_**Any criticism or reviews you have to offer would be extremely helpful in my writing.**_


	3. Chapter 3 - Flying Colours

Chapter III: Flying Colours

The feeling of wind coursing over my body gave me intense deja vu. I cherished the memory of feeling the current around me as it kept me in the air for as long as it could. Slowly, I unfurled my wings and started to glide gently on the breeze. That's right, wings. Jet black, feathered wings capable of flight. That's what I meant when I confessed that I was a Faunus.

A few moments later, I saw Blake drop into the sea of trees. Circling around, I made for her location as fast as I could. On the way down, I forgot to tuck my wings in and took a couple of scrapes. Ouch. Remind me to take a couple of flying lessons.

Blake, on the other hand, was unharmed. I spat a couple of leaves out of my mouth, brushed some twigs out of my feathers, and motioned for her to follow. She was clearly hiding a grin. "C'mon," I mumbled as I ran, eager to get going.

My black-clothed companion dashed after me. "Why the rush?"

"I just want to get a good grade on this," I confessed.

"That's the kind of thing Weiss would say..." Blake muttered under her breath.

"Who?"

"Weiss Schnee. She's a bit of a perfectionist."

"Isn't she the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company?" I inquired.

"That's the one," Blake confirmed.

* * *

After a couple of minutes of constant running, I noticed that something was off. Ozpin did say that we would end up facing the Grimm. Yet, it was oddly peaceful. Where were they?

Almost as if on cue, I noticed a Beowolf in front of us a second before it lunged towards me. I used the momentum to draw my longsword, Windsbane, and slice it right in half. Unfortunately, I must've alerted the rest of the pack, because more began to jump out of the bushes and chase after us.

I skidded to a halt. "Blake! We've got company!"

"Right."

Next thing I knew, we were both dashing straight at the wolfpack.

* * *

I was having trouble keeping up from one target to another. I'm not used to crowd control. Blake, on the other hand, was able to take on several Beowolves at once and became almost untouchable. For however long it took me to take down one, she had already slain five. But at this point, whether I was used to taking on a bunch of opponents at once didn't matter anymore. I was getting exhausted. My momentum was slipping. _Time to pull my trump card,_ I thought. I used my Aura to unlock Windsbane's secret ability: it's weightlessness. Suddenly, I was seemingly teleporting from one place to another, unleashing lethal strike after lethal strike. When Blake and I finally defeated them all, I was kneeling on the ground, leaning on my bloodied sword, surrounded by the bodies of dead Beowolves. I was about to get up when I felt a sharp pain in my back and was sent flying at a tree. Turns out a single Beowolf survived and took advantage of my tired state. Fortunately, Blake dashed in to kill it before it could do any more damage. She casually walked over to me and offered her hand.

"You're gonna have to do a lot better if you want a good grade for **that**." Blake remarked with a smirk.

I sighed and took her hand. "Yeah, you're right."

"Relax, Adrian," she said. "I was just kidding. You'll probably still do well."

After hearing that, I felt so foolish. Overreacting is and has been one of the things I've been meaning to change about myself.

"Let's go find that artifact before I embarrass myself again," I groaned.

* * *

It wasn't long until we found a set of circular ruins that could only be the place we were sent to look for. As we came closer, I noticed different relics resembling chess pieces scattered on various pedestals.

"Do we take all the artifacts back?" I asked.

"I think Ozpin only wanted us to bring one back," Blake recalled.

"Does it matter which one we get?"

Blake looked unsure of herself. "It's not for me to say."

I shrugged. _She can keep her secrets, for all I care,_ I thought.

* * *

We were on our way back to the cliffs, walking this time. Blake didn't pay much mind to the fact that I wasn't dashing through the forest as I was before. I didn't care if my grade suffered, I just didn't want to tire my body to the point where I would pass out. Suddenly, something hit me. No, something literally **hit** me. I fell to the ground with a thud, just barely keeping consciousness. The last thing I saw of my partner as I looked up was her form helplessly being carried away in the claws of a Nevermore. Talk about "snatch-and-grab."

* * *

_**Any criticism or reviews you have to offer would be extremely helpful in my writing.**_


	4. Chapter 4 - Nevermore Nuisance

Chapter IV: Nevermore Nuisance

I flew after the oversized raven, and was thinking about falling out of the sky when I got close to it. Before leaping in to save Blake, I took a few seconds to create a plan. I would attack its talon, causing the Nevermore to drop Blake. I would then swoop under her, catch her, and get away before we trigger a full-blown encounter. A bit cowardly, but it worked for me in my head, considering how tired I was. I caught up to the Nevermore and did it. For the first few milliseconds, I didn't even know what was going on.

As planned, I slashed the Nevermore's talon. But something just clicked in my mind the moment my sword made contact with the bird's claw. I somehow knew that I wouldn't be fast enough to catch Blake. So I activated my Semblance.

As soon as the Nevermore released Blake, she was left there in the air, helplessly floating where she was let go. I immediately glided under her, picked her up in my arms, and tried to fly away. I clearly didn't think this thing through, however, because if I did, I would've taken into account how easily I get tired. We began descending back into the forest.

"What was that?" Blake asked.

"That was my Semblance..." I answered, trying to catch my breath. "Gravity manipulation."

"Hm. Seems helpful," she said, considering what just happened.

It was a smooth landing, if you exclude the part where I was exhausted. I remembered to tuck in my wings, but I guess that was the least of our problems.

"Adrian," Blake called. "We only have a bit of ground to cover before we get back to the cliffs. Come on."

I wheezed. "But...the Nevermore…?"

"Would you rather fight here, where more Grimm could ambush us, or up on the cliffs, where we have a good vantage point? I mean, that thing is bound to follow us back."

_Can't argue with that,_ I thought. I motioned in the direction of the cliffs and was met with a barely audible "Thought so."

* * *

When Blake and I finally climbed up the cliff, I was thinking curling up and falling asleep right then and there was a pretty good idea. But, of course, I couldn't catch an actual break. Only a few steps away, spiked feathers started falling all around me. The Nevermore was preparing to divebomb me while there was no space to escape! _Maybe if I jump high enough, I can avoid the attack altogether,_ I thought. _On the other hand, I could let it come to me and slice it in half,_ my voice of doubt pointed out. I couldn't make up my mind. Both choices had pros and cons that equalized them. Before I could pick one or the other, however, the Nevermore was already too close for me to react. _This is going to hurt._

I'm not sure what just happened. I blacked out, but somehow I had been pulled into a sideways roll to the side of the raven. I also felt something stroking my left arm. When I looked at it, I saw a black ribbon coiled around multiple times untying itself. _That's it…! _I thought. I looked to the source of the ribbon and saw Blake.

"Stay focused!" she called.

I shook my head clear from an invisible fog and threw her weapon over to her. The Nevermore was circling around, preparing for another dive.

"Blake!" I shouted. "Get on its back and weaken it! I've got a plan!"

She nodded and pounced onto the Nevermore, slashing and stabbing as it started flying erratically, struggling to throw her off. Meanwhile, I had opened one of the pockets on my coat and pulled out a Wind-type Dust crystal.

"Here goes nothing…" I muttered, absorbing the crystal into my hand. My Aura began to glow a bright green, and I pulled my sword to my side, preparing to spin. Then...I did. I spun, over and over and over. The wind was beginning to surround me, just like how Blake's ribbon did to my arm only moments ago. I continued to coil the wind around me until it was a sizable tornado. One last spin with all my strength sent the storm towards the Nevermore. However, something seemed off. _Blake,_ I suddenly remembered. She was doomed if I didn't do something to save her. I unfurled my wings and flew to the side of the storm so that I could see Blake clearly.

"Toss me your ribbon!" I yelled. I hoped she could hear me amongst the chaos.

Luckily for me, she did. She tossed her weapon into my open hand and I pulled her right off the back of the bird. Out of harm's way. I caught her in my arms again, glided back to the cliffs and set her down. By this time, I knew I wouldn't have much use out of the Dust crystal anymore. I flew into the air again, this time with my blade parallel to its sheath. I could feel my energy gathering in one spot, charging up for a single, fatal slash. Once the Nevermore flew helplessly in my path, there was no regret. I moved in for the kill. In a flash, I was behind the colossal bird, sword drawn. The tornado dissipated, and everything seemed to freeze in midair. Then, on cue, the Nevermore fell, dead, into the sea of trees below. All was quiet.

I silently flew back to the cliffs where Blake was waiting for me.

"So you're a bird Faunus?" Blake asked.

"Oh, uhh, yeah," I confirmed, "although I prefer to keep it on the down-low."

"Understandable. Let's head back."

I sighed, this time out of relief instead of exhaustion. It was time to put an end to this episode of events.

* * *

"Thank you, Blake," Ozpin spoke. "You may return to your team." As she nodded and walked out the office, the headmaster turned to me.

"You brought your things with you upon arriving at Beacon, yes?" he asked.

"Yes sir, I did," I replied. I was a little worried, because that was a neutral question that could transition into either the best case scenario or the worst. But luck was on my side.

"Well, that was a good call. Avoided the need to return home and grab your things during classes."

I should note that I do get excited over the simplest of things, although it may not be evident. Just like when Ozpin provided me with the opportunity to undergo Initiation, I felt that this was the best thing to ever happen to me.

Ozpin cleared his throat and continued. "Now, about your team, you will have to wait for three other students to attend Beacon due to the number of students already present. Until then, you will have to participate in all of your classes alone. I will notify the teachers shortly and make sure that they can make compromises for your education. For now, you may take the rest of the day off, but be ready for tomorrow."

"Thank you, Professor Ozpin," I bowed, trying to hide the smile that must have been on my face.

After I walked out of the office, I made a beeline straight for my dorm and took a nap. Today was exhausting. Interesting, but exhausting.

* * *

_**Any criticism or reviews you have to offer would be extremely helpful in my writing.**_


End file.
